Former director Stephanie TenBarge used ECHO funds to pay her property taxes – and possibly other expenses. Her land and home are worth almost $300,000, according to the Vanderburgh County Assessor’s Office.

Keep in mind that ECHO provides housing to low-income individuals. Imagine if a Tri-State Food Bank official stole grub from the pantry to feed a bunch of doctors and lawyers. That’s what we’re dealing with.

On March 18, four days after the news broke that TenBarge had stepped down, Director of Metropolitan Development Kelley Coures told the Courier & Press the city would “support ECHO just the same as we always have.”

Evansville funnels between $80,000-130,000 into the nonprofit every year.

Fast forward to Wednesday night. That’s when City Councilor Jonathan Weaver announced on Twitter that he and other councilors would consider the possibility of withholding public cash from ECHO until an independent audit could take place.

“It appears we can write an ordinance,” he told me.

Deputy Mayor Steve Schaefer replied to Weaver, claiming the ECHO board had already hired a forensic accountant to rifle through the finances. And Coures told the Courier he was “100 percent confident” that all city funds were used properly.

Apparently Weaver and other councilors don’t share in that optimism.

I don’t either. Why should anyone? So far, ECHO has been about as transparent as the Nixon Administration. Which brings us to the next point:

Despite evidence of TenBarge misusing funds, no criminal investigation had been opened – all because ECHO reportedly didn’t want one.

According to Evansville police, they repeatedly asked the ECHO board of directors to file a police report so a criminal inquiry could begin in earnest. And repeatedly the board said no, even after both interim director Chris Metz and now-former board member/police officer Eric Krogman allegedly implored them to do so.

EPD spokesman Jason Cullum said the stonewalling compelled Krogman to resign from the board.

So police said screw it. During a press conference on Thursday, Cullum announced the EPD had opened an investigation anyway. After all, since ECHO receives public funds, the organization isn’t the only alleged victim. You have taxpayers to think about as well.

It all illustrates a fundamental problem with nonprofits: even though they receive public money, they’re not subject to public scrutiny.

4. “No comment,” the cleaning woman said

ECHO has been ghosting Courier & Press reporters for more than a week now.

Hours before reporter Zach Evans broke the news that TenBarge used an ECHO check to pay her property taxes, he went to the nonprofit’s headquarters seeking a comment. The only person who made themselves available was a woman vacuuming the carpet. She helpfully found Metz, who told her he had “no comment.”

Every public statement so far has come from ECHO lawyers. That’s to be expected, I suppose. No employee wants to speak out of turn and upend an ongoing investigation. Problem is, we don’t know what that investigation entails.

The people who most deserve an answer are the residents who live in ECHO properties. They need to know whether the organization that helps provide them with a home will continue receiving the donations and grants it needs to operate.

“No comment” doesn’t bring much comfort when your livelihood is at stake.